Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Leptospirosis is an infectious zoonotic disease that can result in severe complications. It is widespread, especially in hot and humid climates such as the northern region of Iran. The immune responses to leptospirosis are multifaceted. Lipl41 is an outer membrane protein that is expressed during infection and is highly conserved among pathogenic species. This makes it a good candidate for diagnosis and induction of specific immune responses. The aim of the present study was to evaluate immune responses against recombinant Lipl41 in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After immunizing of different groups of mice with recombinant Lipl41 (rLipl41), the levels of specific antibodies and cytokine profiles interferon-gamma/interleukin-4 (IFN-γ/IL-4) were measured. RESULTS: The results revealed that rLipl41 showed a significant increase in antibody levels compared with the control groups (P< 0.05). Although the level of IL-4 in the groups that received Lipl41 was similar to that in the other control groups, the IFN-γ levels showed a significant increase (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: It has been concluded that recombinant Lipl41 protein could strongly stimulate specific immune responses and be considered a potential candidate for vaccine development and diagnostic research.